Living the Simplistic Dream by Li Yu
Li Yu and his dog in their 4-storey house
Bill Porter (Red Pine) wrote in his book, “Road to Heaven-Encounters with Chinese Hermits”:
“I could understand someone wanting nothing more than to live a simpler life: inside a cloud, under a pine tree, somewhere out of town, surviving on moonlight, taro and hemp.” ~ Bill Porter
This possibly could be the ideal lifestyle that many people would aspire to, but very few have the luxury of doing so. China’s affluent “Buddha youth”, or “Buddha-like youth” (佛系青年) is a term associated with those born in the 1990s. The term went viral after it appeared on a popular WeChat article, describing the generation born in the 1990s who takes on a more Zen-like way of living, having seen through the vanity of life and opted for a more casual and calm mindset towards career and life.
Collecting wildflowers is one of Li Yu’s favourite pastime
Li Yu, a postgraduate student at the China Academy of Art lives in a four-storey villa in Hangzhou. Spending 100,000 yuan (around USD14,838), Li Yu single-handedly transformed the plain house he rented from his tutor into a dreamlike wonderland with various flowers and plants in a month. He used to work in several jobs at the same time and traveled around trying to make a lot of money, but now he focuses on living a simple life.
Chinese Boy Lives Alone in a Four-Storey Villa,
Beautiful like a Fairyland!
Disclaimer: The video below belongs to its creator, and is made available here for strictly educational, non-commercial purposes only. No profit is being made from making it available.
Transcript
This is the original state of the house before the renovation which cost only 100,000 Yuan
My name is Li Yu (李玉) and I go by my artistic name of Yushui Jun (遇水君). Currently, I am a third-year graduate student at the China Academy of Art. Since my freshman year, I had moved 7 times and the house that I am living in now is 4-storey with a total area of 991 square meters (10,667 square feet). My rental is quite low as this house belongs to my teacher. The renovation of the house took me 30 days to complete at the cost of 100,000 Yuan.
I had arranged for different functions for each floor of the house. The garage on the ground floor had been converted into a shop and a work area for oil painting and block printings. The first floor is where my open kitchen and living room located. The second floor is also my workplace and on the third floor, I have my bedroom, as well as a room for drying flowers.
The dry flower room is where Li Yu creates his stunning artworks
Not wishing to spend too much money on permanent fixtures, I did not focus too much on the finishing. For example, I had kept the concrete floor and the walls in their original conditions. I had decorated the areas in the house with jujube trees and bamboos.
The tables, chairs, stools, and workbenches were all bought second hand. The chair that I am sitting on only costs me 50 Yuan for two, and its made from genuine leather. Installing doors were too much trouble, so I resorted to using draperies and bamboo blinds which costs less and matches the colour scheme of the whole house. Many friends had complained about mosquitoes and insects during the summer months. I joked that it is wonderful to be able to feel the bites as it is a sign that you are still alive.
Nature and plants are Li Yu’s main source of inspiration for his work
I lived in a small village in Loudi (娄底), Hunan (湖南) before I came to Hangzhou (杭州）for the art exam at the age of 17 years old. Everyday I would go out with a bamboo basket on my back to pick wildflowers and grass. Now that I am an entrepreneur, in my studio, I create works of art with the focus on my concept of nature and plants. Starting with simple plants, based on the shapes of the plants and how I feel about them, I would create art by giving it a form or by adding some colours. I may not know many of the plants’ names but that does not stop me from appreciating their beauty.
There is no price on Li Yu’s artwork. You pay as you please (click to enlarge)
I never initiate or force my sales but depend on circumstances when the suitable person recognises and appreciates my artwork. If you would like to pay more, I am happy to accept but if you pay a little less, I am also willing to accept. The highest that I had received was over 10,000 Yuan. Some had asked me if I was a rick kid or do I have a sugar-daddy. I wish I am a rich kid but I am not and everything that I had accomplished is through my own effort.
Currently, my life consists of one man, one dog, and three chickens, but one day it became two chickens as one ran away. When the sunbeam shines into the room, I would get up and check on my chickens to see if they are awake and check to see if my dog is still snoring or is he playing.
I like making friends with different people and I started creating different dishes of delicious food for them. My private kitchen had hosted over 16 dinners since September last year. There are no menus and there are no prices. After the meal, they can pay as they like.
My friends often say that my studio is like a retreat centre, like a cave. Maybe my friends think that the way I live is too passive, a young man living like an old man who is living a retired life. The thing is, once I have decided this type of lifestyle, I lowered my workload and material needs to slightly above my lowest acceptable standards. I am able to focus my energy on living the life I wish. Everyday I maintain the passion for living, to do as I wish to do and to live as I wish to live.
This is the workspace on the second floor. The furnitures in the house are from second-hand stores (click to enlarge)
Li Yu did all the renovation himself to save cost and completed the renovation in 30 days (click to enlarge)
Insect is also one of the elements that Li Yu uses in creating his artwork (click to enlarge)
Source:
- Xinhua, ‘Buddha-like’ youth calmly accept life, 8 January 2018, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201801/08/WS5a52c632a31008cf16da5a44.html (accessed: 28 January 2019)
- Sun, JiaHui, Learning Chinese; How to be a ‘buddha-like youth’, 26 December 2017, http://www.ecns.cn/learning-Chinese/2017/12-26/285916.shtml (accessed: 28 January 2019)
- 如室，杭州300㎡四层毛坯别墅改造 李玉, 23 May 2018, http://new.rushi.net/Home/Works/detail/id/182082.html (accessed: 28 January 2019)
- 一条, Chinese boys live alone in a four-storey villa, beautiful like a fairyland!, 20 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSYpVY0QXCE&feature=youtu.be (accessed: 28 January 2019)
- 西门不庆，90后男生一个人住4层别墅，美得像仙境！，29 May 2018, http://new.rushi.net/Home/Works/detail/id/75675.html (accessed: 28 January 2019)
- 腾讯网，1个月花10万爆改4层别墅！90后帅哥独住300㎡仙境，他不是富二代，只是热爱生活，https://new.qq.com/omn/20180604/20180604B1WERF.html （accessed: 28 January 2019)
- 每日头条，90後美院畢業生一人住4層別墅，爆改出你從未見過的仙境！, 4 June 2018, https://kknews.cc/home/28ggalz.html (accessed: 28 January 2019)
For more interesting information:
- Glass House
- House of Shambhala
- Interesting houses and their occupants in the mountains
- Artistic Spirits
- 3 Amazingly Attractive Villages in Japan
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Thank you for the sharing, an empowering article and an extraordinary thoughts of a young man. His thoughts are amazing compare to the young generation in this modern world. I liked his creativity in designing, transforming his living house to a luxury home. I admired his energetic way to earn extra and his passion to contribute to others.
This article is very interesting, I believe it will be very helpful for those who are working hard to save their earning to buy an affordable home. There are some people who has to go through many challenges in their life just to own a home. While the older generations tend to have very traditional ideas about how people should live, think and behave.
I had a good read and loved the simplistic way of Li Yu dream.
Li Yu has a very good quality of life. This may come from his upbringing in a village. He is very used to living in harmony with nature and he has such passion for everything around him. He sees insects as part of the environment and he thinks it reminds him that he is still alive, what a positive way to think. He really respects and appreciates everything.
For a young man like him to realise life is not about money and material possessions, it is quite rare. In the environment we are living, we are constantly reminded that success is about having money and material possessions, it is sometimes hard to live out side the norm. Li Yu also has that problem, his friend thought he is crazy but he knows what he wants and he is firm with it.
Happiness is really a state of mind, not from external factors. Li Yu doesn’t have a lot but he is happy. But to some people when they look at how Li Yu lives his life, they don’t think it is a happy life. Since our emotions and feelings all come from our mind, then it is important to work on our mind. When we change the way we think, we can help ourselves to become better and happier.
A simple house yet the design is so creative and cosy. Absolutely beautiful and inspiring. A mixture of nature ,man-made, traditional and modern environment. A young man’s dream is living the life of doing what he loves since young age. Li Yu has created his life in a very simple and light manner. This same mindset he used to renovate the house he lives in. Doing what he loves and living simple focusing on the quality of life. Simple and happy artistic lifestyle!? Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this lovely article. ????
Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for sharing the story of this unique young man who is living his dream. His idea about life is fascinating and inspiring. Many people would love to live a life like his which is simple yet content. However, it is not easy to achieve due to the materialism and attachment that most people have, especially people who are around Li Yu’s age.
What stood out the most to me is how he charges for his artwork and also the private dinners. He does not fix a price on both of them and will accept whatever the buyer will give him. This allows us to know that he is a person that is not attached to money.
His way of living is totally opposite of what the society is encouraging now. Materialism is huge now and the more is better. Every day, we are brainwashed by the people around us and advertisement that the more is better. Who knows that one can find longer-lasting happiness by being simple? Li Yu is an inspiration to prove to the world that one can live happily with content by being simple.
People his age would usually seek the bright lights of the city and be caught up by materialism. It is refreshing to see how this young man chooses to live his dream. I applaud his courage and wisdom to live a wholesome life.
Thank you for sharing this. The short clip is stunning, each space is so exquisitely decorated. Love the dried flowers room.
Absolutely beautiful and inspiring… mixture of nature ,man-made, traditional and modern environment, doing what he loves and living simple focusing on the quality of life. A young man’s dream is living the life of doing what he loves since young age . Everything in his home which he designed is close to nature, simple and a dreamlike wonderland with various flowers and plants. Amazing…he decorated the areas in the house with jujube trees and bamboos, so connected with nature every corner of his 4 stories house. From the video I can see all the space looks so beautiful, tranquil and authentic indeed.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
Li Yu has created his life in a very simple and light manner. This same mindset he used to renovate the house he lives in, translates also in the way he creates his art, and even how he is being paid.
In our life, we have many habits, traditions and culture which we want to respect. But maybe it would be better to reflect on how precious our time is and how we can make the best out of it instead of following what we know and what others expect from us.
It is a beautiful house and way of life that Li Yu has created. Thank you for sharing.
Li Yu lives his life exactly the way he wants to; focusing on the artistic and creative ways of living while letting go of status and possession. Very nice. It must’ve taken a very discipline and focused mind to be able to live this simplistically in-spite of a chaotic and materialistic world. Thank you for this sharing.
把生活水平降到最低、让自己有更多的时间去做想做的事，每天热爱自己的生活，不为自己添加烦恼、就会有更多的时间和去关心身边的事，是一件非常快乐的事。
一个人不追求物质财富，专注在简单朴素的生活，反而让身心更舒服自在。谢谢尊贵的詹杜固仁波切的分享，克切拉禅修林已经是我们很多向往这种生活的人的家。
A simple house yet the design is so creative and cosy. Would love to live in such a house. Very rare that young people would want to live simple now a days as we are too attach to technology and modern lifestyle. Li Yu lifestyle is a sample of us connecting back to nature and yet still be able to do what he likes. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing Li Yu’s interesting story.
Amazing for the incredibly creative and artistic Li Yu to be able to live each day of his live as though it were a fulfilment of a dream! Such a beautiful way of living one’s life, surrounded by nature and inspired by it to translate its beauty into art!
Furthermore, although Li Yu has, by choice, been living alone, he is not living selfishly by himself and for himself. He has the company of one dog and two chickens whom he cares for lovingly. Moreover, he invites friends home and serves them meals for which he plans and cooks with passion and care. Like in the case of his art and artistic creations which he sells for a living, he does not demand a high price. Meals cooked by him are paid for “as they like”.
Li Yu is indeed a beautiful young person, a rarity in today’s world.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful article on Li Yu.